Tag Archive for marijuana

Legalization of ‘recreational’ marijuana  passes first hurdle in Israel

The bill, allowing for possession of up to 50 grams for personal use and up to 2 marijuana plants growing under natural light in a private place, also for personal use, would no longer be a crime.

By GIL HOFFMAN

 

The Ministerial Committee on Legislation decided on Sunday to advance two separate bills that would legalize cannabis, guaranteeing the coalition’s support for them in the Knesset.

The bills were submitted by Likud MK Sharren Haskel and Blue and White MK Ram Shefa. Haskel said she has fought for the bill for five years but her persistence on behalf of what she said are more than a million cannabis users paid off. Continue Reading »

Savvy Israeli pot dealers don delivery gear to bypass virus travel-bans

Dealers delivering marijuana to clients that are forced to remain home under coronavirus restrictions say delivery outfits, such as Wolt or Gett, allow them unhampered movement by the police at security road-blocks.

By Asaf Kamer, Adam Kotev

 

Drug rings in the Tel Aviv area have been adapting to the new reality of coronavirus guidelines with a cunning means of disguise – donning the uniforms of a food delivery service.

With Israel on increasingly stringent lockdown, staff for takeaway delivery services such as Wolt or Gett are among the few who can move around freely without attracting too much police attention. Continue Reading »

Israel’s pro-cannabis party threatens to sue Facebook over page deletion

Green Leaf, Israel’s pro-marijuana political party, claims Facebook re-approved their promotions campaign in order to avoid litigation, but then deleted Green Leaf’s account as way of ‘neutralizing’ them.

By Nir Cohen, Alexandra Lukash

 

Israel’s pro-marijuana legalization party, Green Leaf (Ale Yarok), is threatening to sue Facebook after it removed one of its publicity campaigns from the social media platform.

Green Leaf’s lawyer sent a letter to Facebook explaining that in October 2018, the party launched a publicity campaign on the social media platform in order to raise funds for a High Court appeal over Israel’s cannabis laws.

Israel’s Green Leaf (Ale Yarok) party – YouTube screengrab

As part of this campaign, the party paid for 15 adverts on Facebook for a total sum of NIS 11,500 (some $3,000). Continue Reading »

Israel passes first hurdle in Knesset to legalize cannabis

Israel’s Minister of Public Security is spearheading effort to end criminal proceeding for the use of marijuana in private. With the bill having passed unanimously in its first reading in the Knesset, it’s highly likely, average citizens caught with grass will no longer be stigmatized as criminals.

By SHOSHANA KRANISH

 

A bill that would legalize the use of cannabis passed unanimously in its first reading in the Knesset on Wednesday.

Currently, the law prohibits the usage of cannabis.

The new bill focuses on public enforcement: those caught with cannabis in public are subject to various fines: on the first offense, 1000 NIS and 2000 NIS for the second offense. Continue Reading »

Israel taps its expertise in medicine, technology & agriculture for its newest harvest

 

REPORT: As the cannabinoids begin to enter the drug market in 2018-2019, a revolution in the field of pharmaceuticals will be seen in Israel, since it is the only place in the world that has the ability to perform all 4 components: cultivation, pharmaceutical ingredient extractions, encapsulation for specific cannabinoids and drug delivery systems.

By BEN FISHER

 

Israel’s medical cannabis industry is at a crossroads and according to Breath of Life Pharma CEO Dr. Tamir Gedo, that crossroads doubles as a runway, because the industry is about to take off.

“Israel has the ability to build a cannabis industry with a long-lasting competitive advantage,” Gedo, who comes to the industry after serving as a senior manager at a pharmaceutical company, told The Jerusalem Post in the company’s offices in Kfar Pines, near Hadera. Continue Reading »

Israel’s Cannabis Decriminalization Policy Starts Now

 

The reclassification to misdemeanor by Israel’s Knesset finally takes effect thanks to Minister of Public Security Gilad Erdan, who moved forward with a softer approach towards social marijuana use.

By Eli Senyor

 

The new cannabis decriminalization policy, which treats cannabis use as a misdemeanor, has now come into effect one month after it was approved in the Israeli legislature.

While full legalization still remains off the table, the new reform in is a vital step towards moving cannabis enforcement away from the hands of the police and into the hands of civil authorities.

A dried bud of cannabis, which can be used for medical therapy – Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Evan-Amos

Police note that “even under the new enforcement policy, cannabis use will stay illegal in the public sector,” emphasizing that people should still refrain from using cannabis, especially in public spaces, and that holding more than 15 grams is sill illegal.A

Continue Reading »

Hamas getting tough on smugglers as drugs flood Gaza

 

The quantity of drugs seized in January is equal to the whole of 2016 as marijuana, hashish and prescription painkillers are smuggled into Gaza in record amounts.
• Aid to Gaza’s attorney general, “The law states that a punishment up to the death penalty can be applied.”

By Reuters & Israel Hayom Staff

 

Marijuana and prescription painkillers are flooding into the Gaza Strip as never before, prompting officials from the ruling Islamist group Hamas to seek tougher punishments for smuggling drugs into the coastal enclave.

Drugs (illustration) – Thinkstock

The quantity of drugs seized in Gaza in January was as much as for the whole of 2016, officials said. Continue Reading »

Israel’s gov’t passes marijuana reform towards decriminalization

 

Vote favors decriminalizing recreational use, with PM Netanyahu saying the move needs to be done in a careful and controlled method.
• New law imposes only fines for 1st & 2nd-time offenders, but growing & selling marijuana will remain criminal offenses.

By Shlomo Cesana

 

The Israeli government voted on Sunday in favor of decriminalizing recreational marijuana use, joining some U.S. states and European countries that have adopted a similar approach.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his cabinet at its weekly meeting Sunday that a team of experts had studied the matter and that “this obviously needs to be done in a careful and controlled manner.” Continue Reading »

New Israel-US partnership opens cannabis production lab in New Mexico

 

The manufacture of smokeless, accurately dosed cannabis medication, “with an equal THC – CBD ratio,” is now being produced to treat a wide variety of illnesses, according to the 2 partners’ ‘joint’ statement (no pun intended).

By 

 

An Israeli and New Mexican company have joined forces to launch the first-ever pharmaceutical cannabis production lab in the United States.

The Lod-based Panaxia Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. and the Albuquerque, New Mexico-based Ultra Health have opened a facility in Bernalillo, New Mexico, that will manufacture smokeless, accurately dosed cannabis medication in a variety of delivery methods, the companies announced this week in a joint statement. Continue Reading »

Thousands of Israelis attend Tel Aviv rally for cannabis legalization

 

Thousands of Israeli demonstrators, including public figures, Knesset members and artists, rallied together in Tel Aviv to demand the government to fully legalize cannabis use.

By Itay Blumental

 

Last week, Minister of Public Security Gilad Erdan said that after reviewing the matter, he will seek government approval for the decriminalization of cannabis.

According to the new policy, first time offenders will be fined by an amount which has yet to be determined and will not receive a criminal record. Second time offenders will be fined twice that amount and will also not receive a criminal record. Third time offenders will only receive a criminal record if the police deem it necessary (in accordance with the new conditional agreement), and if so will also have their driver’s and firearms licenses revoked. Continue Reading »

Israel moves to decriminalize cannabis for personal use

 

Minister Erdan explained that under the new policy, police would focus enforcement of laws against marijuana use in public spaces, not people’s homes, saying, “The goal of the plan is to prevent significant harm to regular people who have no criminal past.”

By i24news

 

Israeli Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan on Thursday announced that he would move to decriminalize the personal use of cannabis – which would make Israel, already at the forefront of medical marijuana research, the first country in the Middle East or Africa to decriminalize the substance.

Israel's Public Security Minister, Gilad Erdan - Photo: Facebook

Israel’s Public Security Minister, Gilad Erdan – Photo: Facebook

Erdan said people caught possessing up to 15 grams of cannabis would receive a fine, with criminal charges being brought only as a “last resort”. Continue Reading »

US cannabis firms invest millions in Israeli patents on medical marijuana

 

Already a pioneer in cutting-edge agriculture, the Jewish State has been attracting American companies looking to bring Israel’s medical marijuana know-how to an ever-growing market back home.

By Reuters & Israel Hayom Staff

 

Already a pioneer in high-tech and cutting-edge agriculture, Israel is starting to attract American companies looking to bring medical marijuana know-how to a booming market back home.

A nurse holds a medical marijuana cigarette at a Tel Aviv clinic belonging to Tikun Olam, Israel’s largest medical marijuana supplier – Photo: Reuters

Since 2014, U.S. firms have invested about $50 million in licensing Israeli medical marijuana patents, cannabis agro-tech startups and firms developing delivery devices such as inhalers, said Saul Kaye, CEO of iCAN, a private cannabis research hub. Continue Reading »

Likud MK Establishes Medical Marijuana Lobby at Israel’s Knesset

 

By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH

 

A Knesset loby for the use of medical cannabis has been established with Likud MK Sharren Haskel at its head, it was announced on Thursday. “It has become accepted that medical cannabis has significant health benefits and an important place in the development of the world of medicine,” Haskel said, “but there are many impediments to its use. The trend is to limit this development, even tough there are many seriously ill patients who need it.” Continue Reading »

Medical cannabis to be dispensed in Israeli pharmacies ‘soon’

 

After the approval by ministry’s professional medical board, Health Minister Litzman’s initiative to legally dispense medical cannabis at local pharmacies will be implemented.

By Moshe Cohen

 

Health Minister Yaakov Litzman’s plan to make it easier for Israelis to obtain medical marijuana is set to be enacted in the coming days, Army Radio reported on Thursday.

According to Army Radio, Litzman’s plan to sell medical cannabis in pharmacies, as well as an expansion of the conditions for which it could be prescribed by doctors, has received initial Health Ministry approval.

Although Litzman is Health Minister, such plans must be approved by a professional medical board, and such approval was received this week, the report said. Continue Reading »

Israel’s police chief says ‘Time has come to re-examine marijuana prohibition’

 

The Israeli government and police should reexamine their policies on the use of cannabis and study how other countries are dealing with the matter, National Police Chief Yohanan Danino said Wednesday.

National Police Chief Yochanan Danino – Photo: Marc Israel Sellem

“I think the time has come for the Israel police, together with the state, to re-examine their stance on Cannabis. I think we must sit and study what’s happening around the world [with Cannabis].” Continue Reading »